A Shoulder to Lean On
by A'isha Ishtar
Summary: It would be her luck, that her boyfriend... oh oh, EX boyfriend... would steal a car that belonged to someone in the military. It would also be her luck that the thing turned out to be a war loving alien robot that won't leave her alone. Ironhide/OC
1. Chapter 1

**I... have turned into an Ironhide fangirl. Don't ask me why, nothing to do with my obsession with Transformers makes sense.**

**I also love Bumblebee, Jazz (even though he's no longer with us, he was still kick-ass), OPTIMUS (duh), Ratchet (badass grandpa!), Jetfire (HI. LA. RI. OUS.), Wheelie and Brains (they're funny and awesome), Megatron (ehhh, hehe, I can explain...), Starscream, Barricade~**

**OK, let's just say I like almost ALL of the Cybertronians.**

**So, therefore, I write this story. My mom helped me with the initial idea, because I wasn't sure how to get an Ironhide one started. So, I, uh, I guess I have to thank her for that. And she helped me decide on the name. It was between this name, or Jessica. And I think Jessica sounds just a little too... generic.**

**Well! I hope you guys enjoy!**

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><p>"Come on, baby. Just a few more steps, I got a real surprise for you."<p>

Autumn sighed as she allowed her boyfriend Jared to pull her outside, her eyes closed and forced to trust him to guide her. She didn't really trust him all that much anymore, to be honest. What had she seen in him? He came home drunk a lot, he smoked a lot, he treated her like a servant, told her what she could and couldn't do.

Did he think some kind of present was going to postpone her kicking him to the curb any day now?

"Okay! Okay, babe, open up your pretty little eyes and let those thirsty little suckers drink _this_ in."

She blew out a breath and opened her eyes. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to see, but what she saw was _definitely_ not it.

In front of her, in the driveway, was what looked like a brand-new, shiny black GMC Topkick truck. It was _huge_, bigger than any car she'd ever seen in her life except in magazines or online. "Shit," she muttered, walking toward it. "Should you really be spending _this_ much on a car? I thought your crappy car worked just fine."

"Well, yeah, but hey. This one's for a backup, ya know? If one of us has the car and the other one needs to do somethin'. Say I'm at work, with my crappy clunker, and you need to go to the store. Besides, babe, I got it for an insanely low price. Come on, I'm good, right?" He dangled the keys in front of her. "Huh? How about you take it for a test run? See how it feels, baby."

Autumn bit her lip and shook her head, snatching the keys. "Alright. Fine. Let's just see how good it works."

She went around to the driver's side and jumped up into the seat. "Geez, it sure is a climb, isn't it?" She gripped the steering wheel and noticed the symbol on the horn, something she hadn't seen before. Hmm, maybe it was a Topkick thing or a GMC thing. "I guess it's cool."

"Take it for a drive, baby. You know you wanna."

She rolled her eyes and put the key in the ignition, then turned it. The engine roared to life, revving up and making her bounce in the seat a little. She thought she heard what sounded like a groan, but it was probably just the engine kicking in, right? "Nice." She rolled down the window and stuck her head out. "I'll take it around the block, be back in a minute."

"Alright, babe, you hurry back."

"Right." Yeah, okay. Like he didn't trust her with a simple drive around the block. She pressed the gas and left a dust cloud as she drove off.

She made the turn around the corner and looked up in the mirror to see if anything was on her butt. Nope, free and clear. "Huh," she mumbled, slowing down just a little. "This is nice. Smooth ride."

Suddenly the radio jolted on.

"_Ohhhh, I_

_I just died in your arms tonight!_

_It must have been_

_Something you said_

_Ohh, I_

_I just died in your arms tonight!..._"

Autumn scoffed and looked at the radio, pressing the button to turn it off. And of course, it didn't turn off. "Well, looks like the radio's glitchy. Oh well, who cares? Rest of the thing is fine."

She eased her foot off the gas and pulled back into the driveway. Not that she was surprised, Jared had lit up a cigarette and was smoking. She blew out a breath and patted the seat beside her, smiling. "Yeah, you're a good car. Maybe keep you a while."

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><p>Last. Straw.<p>

Autumn managed to push herself up from the floor, supporting herself with the wall. She could barely think with the pounding against her temple, probably along with a forming black-and-blue mark. She was dizzy, and it took a few blinks to clear the water from her eyes.

The one thing her mind _could_ come up with, though, was to ask her why she was going out with Jared in the first place. _Why are you still with him? You said you were gonna kick his ass out two months ago when you found out about the weed._

She took a breath, watching him leave. Why _was_ she still with him?

_Why haven't you dumped him?_

Well... why hadn't she?

She gulped in a few more breaths, grabbed a baseball bat from its leaning spot against the dresser, and ran shakily after him. After a moment her outstretched free arm collided with his back, making him stumble but not fall.

"Get the fuck out!" she shouted. "Get the fuck outta my house!"

He whirled around and got right in her face. "You bitch, you're telling _me_ what to do?"

She held up the bat and smacked him one, right across the chest. "Get the hell out, Jared! YOU GET OUT RIGHT NOW!"

That had obviously put him in pain, and he was currently racing for the door. His hand flung out and groped the wall for the keys to the Topkick, but she was faster. She dug her nails into his fingers, successfully making him yelp and yank his hand back, and grabbed the keys herself.

By the time she turned around, he was already stumbling out the door and down the stairs. Still carrying the bat, she slammed the door against the side of the house and glared at him. "What are you waiting for, _LEAVE_!"

He looked frustrated and angry. "Gimme my keys, babe! C'mon, I need my truck!"

"I don't fucking think so!" She jumped down each step and chased him with the bat, swinging it at every chance. "Get outta my house, stay off my lawn, and you ain't gonna frickin' come back unless you want me to tear you a new one and then some! _Now get the hell out or I'm gonna call the fucking cops_!"

He was off running, down the street, down the block, out of her life.

Autumn dropped the baseball bat and blew out a breath, pressing her back against the Topkick. Again there was a kind of groan, but this time it was probably just from her hitting it. She gulped in some air and let out a few shuddery breaths, the hand with the keys reaching up to her head again. "God... fuck him..."

She pushed herself away and crossed around the front of the car over to the driver's side. She hopped up and shoved the key in, gripping the steering wheel. She buckled herself in and took the wheel with both hands, staring straight ahead. She just wanted to get as far away from here, from these memories, as possible... to leave Jared behind for a while, then come back and destroy every memory of his presence.

She looked down at the tank meter, then ran her thumb over the symbol in the middle of the steering wheel. The needle pointed to _F_. She wondered how far you could get with a full tank on a Topkick. She then looked up and slammed her foot on the gas pedal.

"How many miles do you get to the gallon, buddy?"

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><p><strong>Teehee. With the song - Ironhide, you crazy! Usually only Bee does that.<strong>

**Ironhide: *grumble* Shut up...**

**Don't worry, everyone, there will be much more action next chapter. Oh, also... keep on the lookout for a Bee oneshot from me soon, I started it today and shouldn't be too long till it's finished.**

**More coming soon, yay! Starting right now... after I write a bit more of that Bee one I was talking about just last paragraph.**

**Make sure to leave me a review! Why~? Because... reviews are to me as Energon is to Cybertronians!**

**Thanks for reading, hope y'all liked!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! It's a bit short, I had some more planned for this chappie, but I wanted to get it up since I left you guys for sooooo long. By the way... THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS! HOLY FUDGE POPS, I've never gotten that many reviews for just ONE CHAPTER. I think I love y'all.**

**Well, anyway! In this chapter, the action heats up a little bit. Autumn got a truck from her now-ex-boyfriend, and immediately after the break-up she depends on it and its glitchy radio while she tries to recover... but she may have gotten a bit more than she bargained for!**

**Enjoy guys!**

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><p>Autumn drove for a while, until there were tears in her eyes. She didn't drive insanely fast, but she wasn't slow. She drove on the regular road, but eventually she veered off onto a dirt road that would lead to that grassy area that overlooked the beach. The place her mother used to take her when she was upset.<p>

As she drove down that road, the radio decided to glitch up again.

"_... I bet this road will take me outta here_

_Take me far away from Amarillo_

_I bet this car will go real fast_

_The wheels might even drive me past_

_Places that you said I'd never go, oh_

_Texas sky is the biggest one I've seen_

_But it still ain't big enough for you_

_All the things that make you mad_

_And all the baggage in your past_

_Don't leave much room for a girl like me to be_

_So I'll fill her up with hope and worn out dreams_

_And I'll grab the wheel and I'll point it west_

_Pack the good and leave the rest_

_I'll drive until I find the missing piece_

_You said I wouldn't get too far_

_On a tank of gas and an empty heart_

_But I got everything I'll ever need_

_I got this old guitar and a brand-new set of strings..._"

As the next verse began, she stopped the car on the overhang and drew in a shaky breath. She looked out over the water, swallowed, folded her arms on the top of the steering wheel, then put her head down on them and began to cry.

The song stopped and the channel switched.

"_When you're lost_

_And you need to find some escape_

_Or some peace of mind_

_Call my name_

_When you need a friend_

_I'll be there, I'll be there_

_If your dreams_

_Are drenched in sweat_

_You can't sleep_

_There's too much in your head_

_Call my name_

_Any time of day_

_I'll be there, I'll be there_

_When you can't carry on_

_When the road's way too long_

_Know that you're not alone_

_I can carry you home_

_If you hold on tonight_

_I'll be there_..."

Autumn chuckled softly and placed a hand on the dashboard. "Stupid radio. But hey, I'm not getting rid of _you_ anytime soon."

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><p>It was an hour before Autumn was ready to drive home. She just sat there, listening to the radio randomly change song genres, looking out over at waves crashing against the sand. After a while, she finally straightened up and felt for the gas with her foot.<p>

"I'm never gonna get the smell of pot outta the house," she muttered as she grabbed the gear shift and yanked it into reverse. "I'm gonna hafta boil syrup on the stove for a month to get rid of it."

She glanced behind her to make sure nothing was coming, then pulled out onto the road. She put it in drive and sped up to just under the limit. She checked her mirrors before lifting one hand off the wheel to push her disheveled bangs back behind her ears, then ran the back of her hand over her eyes to scrub away the dried tears.

Not five seconds after she was done, she heard the blare of a police siren behind her. She jumped in her seat and jerked her eyes up to the rearview mirror. She groaned when she saw a cop car quickly catching up to her, practically hugging her bumper. She realized what it must be - she'd forgotten to buckle up before taking off.

"Fuck," she mumbled, turning the wheel to the right and easing her foot onto the brake pedal so she could pull over to the side of the road. She just wanted to get the ticket and end this shitty day. "Worst day of my life."

To her surprise, the wheel wouldn't turn. It was almost like it had locked up, and no matter how hard she tried, it didn't budge. And as if that wasn't enough, something whacked her foot hard enough to knock it off the brake. When she glanced down to see what could have possibly done it, to her disbelief the gas was pressed down like someone was seriously flooring it - and by the speed of the car, someone or some_thing_ was doing just that.

"H-Hey! No!" she cried, grabbing the wheel and once again trying to twist it to the right. "I have to _pull over_! I'm gonna get arrested for resisting a fucking officer! Damn truck, I knew the radio wasn't the only thing that was glitchy!"

Out of nowhere, the seatbelt flew out from the back of the seat and wrapped tightly around her, clicking into place. The belt was completely around her, strapping even her arms to the seat. Then the radio crackled back to life, and out of it came an otherworldly voice with an accent she couldn't place.

"Hold on. This is gonna be a little rough."

Pause.

"And if you call me a glitch one more time, femme, I swear to Primus you'll be out of me and on your fragging aft before you even know what happened."

The car sped up even more, and Autumn didn't know whether to scream or laugh. This was ridiculous, it was just her luck... and who was that talking through the radio? "What the hell is going on?" she shouted over the roar of the engine. "Who are you? _Where_ are you?"

"We're being chased, obviously," the voice came again, rather dryly. "My designation is Ironhide, and I am right here. You're inside my interior."

"What the hell...?" Autumn shook her head, trying to wrench her arms free from the seatbelt. "I still don't understand! What the hell are you, some kind of talking car? What, are you haunted like that movie _Christine_?"

"I am an Autobot from the planet Cybertron." _Damn it, _why did he sound so freaking casual about this? "So in your terms, I am a robotic being. But I have free will."

"But isn't that a cop car?" She tried to twist her head back to look at the thing, but her restraints prevented her from doing so. "Why are we running from it?"

"That is not one of your human police. That is a Decepticon called Barricade."

"So, so... w-wait, I... is your side the good side?"

"By 'good', if you mean not wanting to blow your planet to smithereens, yes, that would be the Autobots."

"What - What does that thing want to do to us?" She glanced in the mirror, and her eyes widened when she didn't see the car. "And... where did it go?"

"... Slag."

The truck screeched to a halt on the left side of the road, and the door popped open. The seatbelt let go of her, and she fell forward, hitting her head on the steering wheel. "Hey!"

"Out."

"Now, just wait a minute!" Autumn straightened up. "How the hell am I supposed to get home if I don't have a _car?_"

"I'm trying to save your life, you fragging human, now just get out!"

"Where did that other car go?"

"He's transformed and coming this way! _Get out of my interior before I transform with you in there!_"

Autumn decided that now wasn't the time to ask anymore questions, and tried to jump out. Unfortunately, since she was shaking so badly, she tripped and tumbled out, falling on her face.

She sat up just in time to see the truck changing - transforming, apparently. It became a twenty-something-foot-tall black robot, with blinding blue optics in lieu of eyes, and there was a cut over one of them.

Her own eyes widened and she scooted back as she saw what must have been the former police car, now in the same form as the truck - Ironhide - barreling down the road.

"Autumn. You must run. No questions." Ironhide growled and cannons mounted on his shoulders lit up. "Come get me, you fragger."

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><p><strong>First song is "New Strings" by Miranda Lambert, the second is "I'll Be There" by Faber Drive. Love both of those songs, mwahaha. Was originally going to use one of Kelly Clarkson's new songs in place of Miranda's, but I think I may incorporate those later somehow.<strong>

**Anyhoo, review generously and you shall be greatly rewarded with another chapter... hopefully sooner!**

**Thanks for reading, guys! ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'M SO SORRY I LEFTED FOR SO LONG. I couldn't figure out quite how I wanted this chapter to go, and then I went on this amazing yet odd Pirates of the Caribbean kick. (Anybody else for Davy Jones and his damned crew of de dead?! Come on, you know you love ze tentacle beard!)**

**Haha, anyway. I'm making excuses. I've been bad, and I should be whipped. Preferably by Ironhide while Megatron shouts "You've been a VERY BAD femme, fleshling!"**

**...**

**Too awkward? I have strange fetishes, never mind.**

**Anyway, I hope you like what I finally came up with! And Doctor-Bot finally made an appearance! (And I'm beginning to talk like Waspinator, giving everyone names with "bot" tacked on the end. Oh well, who DOESN'T love Waspy?)**

**Hope y'all enjoy! :D**

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><p>Autumn couldn't move, not even to run like he'd told her to. And honestly, she <em>did<em> want to _run_. This was more insane than _Psycho,_ for crying out loud, and she couldn't take her eyes off it. She could just sit there and stare, and that was _it_.

Two blasts fired from the cannons, headed straight for the other mech, Barricade. He dodged though, ducking and rolling, and rammed into Ironhide, knocking them both to the ground. After a few seconds though, Ironhide threw the other mech off and fired his cannons again. Barricade sidestepped out of the way before firing a few rounds from a single gun, though Ironhide easily ducked and tackled the fake cop.

They wrestled around for a moment, mostly with Ironhide pinning Barricade down and trying to get a hit in with the Decepticon squirming - which he did a few times. Pretty much Barricade was smart enough to jerk his helm out of the way, but once or twice Ironhide managed a punch.

"Autumn!" the Autobot shouted, while he was struggling to hold Barricade down. "I won't tell you a third time - leave! _Now!_"

She shook her head and tried to snap herself out of it. She should be _running..._ running to call the police! The real ones, not fakey faker Barricade there. "No! You're my truck, I'm not gonna just leave you!" It took her only a few seconds to realize, horrified, that those words had come from _her_ mouth.

"How interesting!" Barricade pushed Ironhide off him - and onto the ground, with a few noises that sounded disturbingly like bones cracking, or would have if he'd been human. And before Autumn knew it, the faux police car's claws - big ole _claws_ - were around her and she was being lifted into the air. _Very high_ into the air. And heights weren't her thing.

She shrieked, kicking her legs and shoving down on his claws, as if she could actually _do_ something to escape. "Let me go!" she yelled, delivering a kick - and probably, a very tiny dent - to the bottom of his servo. "_Ironhide!_"

Barricade chuckled darkly, bringing her closer to his face despite all her fighting. "Well well, little human. Certainly you would make a fine pet for Lord Megatron, though clearly we'd have to find a way to keep you from attacking without a command to do so."

"Let go of her, _you scum!_" She heard a shot, and it whizzed right by her head. There was the sound of metal hitting metal, a loud _CLINK_, and then she was falling. Falling... and screaming.

She thought she was going to die, but instead of crashing against the pavement, she fell hard against something metal. It still hurt, but it was a shorter fall so it didn't hurt like she thought it was going to, and apparently she hadn't died, since she was still _thinking._

When she looked up, she saw Ironhide's face, far away, and realized that he must have caught her. That's why he fired at Barricade, because he knew the Decepticon would drop her, and he was ready to catch her. Ironhide raised a cannon that was on his arm, fully engaged and ready to fire. "You have two choices. You can leave, or I can send you to the Pit. Shall I?"

Barricade glared at the both of them, but then stepped back. "Lord Megatron wishes me to return anyway. We _will_ meet again, fleshling. But remember, next time will be much, much worse." With that, he transformed into the cop car and sped off down the road in the other direction.

Autumn was shaking, and she curled up on Ironhide's hand, barely able to even look up at him. "W... What now?" she asked, but it barely came out in a whisper.

"They know where you are now, Autumn. I must take you somewhere safe. Hold on, I'm going to transform."

There was a bunch of noise, and briefly his hand disappeared from underneath her. She would have panicked, if almost immediately she didn't fall down onto a seat. It felt like she was in the back, and suddenly there was a man in the front seat. He looked back at her, and she couldn't even speak when she saw his face - in fact, she barely remembered to _breathe._ He looked to be in his early or mid thirties, and his hair was inky black, and his eyes were an unearthly, luminescent blue... just like Ironhide's. Was that _him?_ But he was the truck! How could he be driving _himself?_ It wasn't physically possible!

... Oh, _why_ was that the thing she was most concerned about at the moment?

"Just sit tight, Autumn." Yes, that was Ironhide's voice. She didn't know how it was possible, but that was him... _and_ the truck was him. And also he was that giant robot, though _somehow_ that made much more sense than the current situation. "We'll be there soon. You should probably rest."

The truck began to move, and Autumn felt her breath catch in her chest, a stabbing sensation, like she'd just sucked in icy air. It was painful, and she couldn't even speak to Ironhide to tell him she was in pain. And after that, she kind of forgot what happened - passing out'll do that to a girl.

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><p>The first thing Autumn heard was a faint but persistent beeping sound. She was loath to open her eyes, so for a moment she just sat still, rigid wherever she was. The biting smell of antiseptic was strong, but after a moment it was a little comforting. She remembered what had happened, vaguely - had Ironhide taken her to a hospital? Surely that couldn't have been what he meant by "somewhere safe"... could it?<p>

At last she worked up the courage to open her eyes. To her surprise, and relief, she wasn't staring at a blindingly white room. It was actually rather dark in here, and the ceiling was higher than any ceiling she'd ever seen. She moved her head with some difficulty, and found her eyes resting on the back of a man. It wasn't that form she'd seen of Ironhide's when he'd begun to drive; this man had a lab coat on. _God,_ she thought, finally a human she could talk to.

That was, if she could talk and not just cough.

He turned around, and she noticed that he looked a little older than it seemed Ironhide had looked. His hair was brown, not so dark as to be mistaken for black but also not so light as to be taken as blonde, and he had a small beard which just covered his chin and nothing else. He smiled at her, and walked closer. "How are you feeling?"

She relaxed a little - until, of course, she noticed that his eyes were the same glowing, eerie blue that Ironhide's had been. Oh God, he _wasn't_ human. He was like Ironhide. Then why was he in human form now? "I... I've been better," she managed to squeak out, before swallowing hard.

He chuckled. "Yes, well, that's to be expected. You did faint, after all. You were unconscious for the better part of a few joors. Ironhide said your name was Autumn? Autumn Ryans?"

She looked around the room nervously, trying to see if there was anything too dangerous in here. "Yeah... um, _joors?_"

"I suppose it would be close to your human hour. Forgive me, I sometimes forget that our measures of time aren't the same."

"That's... okay."

"In any case, it's nice to meet you. I'm Ratchet, the team's medical officer." He reached down and brushed her forehead, and she was surprised when his pressing down lightly on it _hurt._ "You've got a few cuts, but they're not serious. I put some iodine on them earlier and covered them with bandages, but it probably will still be sore for a while."

She nodded a little, then tried to take a breath. The instant she did, that same feeling she'd gotten when she tried that while she was in the back seat struck her. It felt like she was being stabbed in the chest. "O-Ow! Why does... Why does it hurt when I breathe?"

He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Oh, I'm afraid you bruised a few ribs when you fell. I can give you some pain medication, if you'd like?"

"Well... I mean... if you wouldn't mind."

"Right." To her surprise, he began to drag over what looked like an IV line, attached to its wheeled support. "It's very unfortunate you had to end up in these circumstances, and we all regret what happened. We're just a little... confused, I suppose is the term I'm looking for, as to how Ironhide wound up with you in the first place. The last thing we all knew, he was with Will Lennox's family."

She blinked at him, shaking her head and trying to clear the little dots from her vision. "You're... You're one of them."

Looking a bit surprised, he nodded as he slid a bag onto the hook of the IV system. "Why, yes. I thought you'd noticed that already. My scans didn't detect a concussion, but perhaps I missed something... maybe I should refrain from the intravenous line and run another scan first."

She shook her head again, the spots finally disappearing. "No, I... I'm sorry. I'm fine. I just..." She shrugged, sitting up just a little. "I'm having trouble focusing on anything but that. I-I don't mean anything by it, I just..."

"You've never seen anything like us before. I understand, and I'm certainly not offended." He slid a needle onto the end of the line, and muttered a quick apology in advance before rapidly sticking it into the back of her hand - his reward was a strangled whimper from her - and trapping it there with surgical tape. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, not a lot... you're pretty fast. I don't like needles though." She looked down, barely keeping herself from rubbing at her hand. "I thought I was going to get a pill, is all."

"Well, sorry about that. You may not be in critical condition, but your body's somewhat weak right now. I think we best save eating and drinking until you feel well enough to walk."

"Okay. I guess that's fair."

"Here, let me start the drip now." He pressed a few buttons, then turned back and smiled slightly. "I'm told by the humans that this feels like ice in your veins as it goes in, so I apologize for that."

She shuddered as the wave of cold hit her hand and traveled up her arm, but after a minute or two it was a little better. "You sure apologize a lot, Dr. Ratchet."

"Hmmph! And others complain about my bedside manner." He winked at her, walking over to his desk. "If you wouldn't mind, you could pass that information on once you're out of my care. They seem to think I have a tendency to get angry and throw things."

"... _Do_ you?"

"Well... not _every_ time. And look, you should be resting."

"Wasn't I just passed out? It's so weird, I still feel tired..."

"Yes, that happens." After she'd closed her eyes, and after a few minutes of nothing but paper shuffling, he spoke up again, though it was considerably quieter than how he'd been speaking. "And I wanted to know... that bruise on the side of your head. That's not the side you landed on, is it? The rest of your bruises are on the left."

She swallowed, not opening her eyes. Trust a doctor to notice that. "No. That one isn't from the fall."

"I didn't want to believe it, but I suppose this is proof," he sighed. "I overheard Ironhide talking to Optimus outside - he says he doesn't think slag of your choice in mates. I thought he was just exaggerating... however, I can't deny it when I see it now, with my own optics."

She opened her eyes again and blinked rapidly a few times. "Well, we're... we're not 'mates'. Not anymore, anyway. His name was Jared, and the last I saw of him was when he was hauling his scrawny ass away from my house, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and my baseball bat."

"So then... _Primus._" She could picture him shaking his head as he said this. "Such a thing would be unthinkable to any of us. He... struck you there, then?"

"Yeah. I kept meaning to leave him, but... that, what he did, that was it. I couldn't wait anymore..."

"Understandable. I think we all concur that you should never have even bonded with him in the first place. But you're free now, hmm? Things can only get better once you heal."

"I guess so." She crossed her arms and scoffed. "Well, I suppose now you know how Ironhide ended up with me."

"Oh?"

"Jared must've stolen him from that - who was it?"

"Lennox. Will Lennox."

"Right. I mean, seriously, he's that kind of guy. He's got a record, and he's been in jail before. He would be in jail right now, in fact..." She uncrossed her arms and blew out a breath. "If I'd been brave enough to tell the police about the drugs."

"I assume you mean of the illicit persuasion."

"Yeah. Him and his stupid little buddies love their crackfests and joint smoking club."

"Ah. Well..." He turned around and leaned against the counter. "If it consoles you on any level, Autumn, I can understand why you were unwilling to report him to the authorities. If he did _this..._" He gestured to the bruise. "With little provocation, there may have been far worse things he could have done. You are very lucky to escape a relationship like that."

"I just... I was scared of what he could do. The one time he was arrested, it was for assault - the other guy got sent to the hospital."

"Yes, I understand. But like I said, you're very lucky you had the courage to finally stand up to him. While I have seen few relationships in my own culture like that... yours seems to be full of it, unfortunately. I have observed... many times the humans never get out. And if they do, it may not be alive or unharmed."

She chuckled. "Yeah, well, I guess he realized that me and a baseball bat isn't a good combination." She'd barely closed her eyes when a thought occurred to her, and made her bolt straight up. Every muscle in her body was against it, but she had to know. "D-Dr. Ratchet!"

"Yes?" He turned around, quirking an eyebrow. "Is something the matter?"

"Where's Ironhide?" She couldn't even stop it from tumbling out of her mouth frantically, and she felt herself start shaking for whatever reason. "Where the _hell_ is my alien truck?"

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><p><strong>Ooh! Autumn gettin' sassy with the doctor now. Can ya blame her? She wants her Ironhide back! I know I certainly would... *dirty thoughts*<strong>

**ANYHOO. Veering off that subject... do any pain meds actually feel cold going in? I thought I remembered one that did, but I was drawing solely from personal experience. I was obviously _sick_ at the time, so I may have remembered wrong. I do know potassium, though... BURNS LIKE A BITCH. Even when the drip's all set up! It doesn't just burn going in at first, it burns pretty much the whole time it's coursing through your veins. I never want to end up with a potassium drip AGAIN. I had to have three, one right after the other...**

**Do the authoress a favor: eat lots of bananas, and NEVER have to go through a potassium drip! If I can spare someone else the torment, then I shall feel as though I have done the day's good deed...**

**Well! Anyway. Reviews are appreciated. Again, sorry for the slow update, but bear with me... my first computer was out of commission for a while, then it screwed up and I had to get a new one and transfer everything. Still not done with that...**

**Thanks for reading, my loyal subjects! ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! What is UP with me and Transformers lately? OH, and I have two important messages.**

**INSERT IMPORTANT MESSAGES AKA SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION HERE.**

**1: If you haven't already, and you love Ironhide (as you must if you're reading this), you should go check out my other Ironhide story! It's not romance but it's adorable. On my profile, it's called "My Sparkling".**

**2: I've got a new story made up of guidelines for living with the Transformers! Both Autobots and Decepticons. I do believe I have one about Ironhide up already. If you've read/are reading StoletheSpider's "Rules for Not Getting Squished", then you'll love my profile's "The Complete Guide: Extended, Concise Edition"!**

**I AM shameless, aren't I?**

**Ironhide: Yes.**

**Ratchet: Oh yeah.**

**Bumblebee: ****_Wish I could say no._**

**Optimus: ... I have some important paperwork. *leaves***

**Me: *eye twitch* FRAG YOU ALL! *runs away to cry***

**Hope you guys like it! :D**

* * *

><p>Ratchet laughed, actually <em>laughed<em> at her, then gave her an odd look. "Oh - oh, you weren't being facetious. No, he's just outside, I believe. Would you like me to get him for you?"

Autumn started to swing her legs over the side of the bed. "Don't be silly, I can go talk to him-" Then she noticed this wasn't a regular bed. It was higher than a normal bed, and she certainly wouldn't be able to slide down and touch the floor without falling. She quickly pulled her legs back up and scooted near the wall. "Go get him, please."

"No problem. I'm sure he'll be relieved to know you're awake, anyway." He disappeared through the door, and she could hear them talking, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Stupid thick walls, muffling everything.

After a moment, the door opened again and in came Ironhide. He didn't look much worse for wear, though some of his paint had clearly been scratched in the scuffle. He glanced at Autumn, then back at Ratchet, who was no longer in a human form. "You stay out."

Ratchet looked offended, and flustered. "What! This is _my_ med bay. Where am I supposed to go?"

"Somewhere else," Ironhide answered simply.

The doctor snarled. "Fine. I need to talk to Optimus about this whole thing, anyway. Just come get me when I can come back _into my own med bay._" He stalked off as Ironhide closed the door.

The big 'Bot turned to face Autumn. He didn't say anything, barely moved, and kept his optics on her.

She blinked. "So... did _you_ get hurt?"

He still didn't say anything, just kept staring at her. He was giving her a look that was almost _exactly_ like a glare.

She threw her arms up, which was a bad idea as that yanked on her IV line and made the machine beep. "What'd I _do?_"

"_What_ did you do?" He got closer to her, and it looked like he really wanted to use his cannons for the second time today. "You bum-rush something that's ten times your size, fall from ten feet in the air, you're lucky I catch you, you pass out in my alt mode, you get put in med bay, and all you can say is _'What did I do'?!_"

"Hey, I've had an eventful day, but I am _fine._ Isn't that what matters, that we're both okay?"

He bent down to her level so they were optic-to-eye. "What you did back there was _foolish,_ Autumn. Do you realize he could have easily killed you right there? You're lucky to be alive. You're either very brave or very stupid."

She snorted. "Yeah? You tell me which."

"Yep, you're stupid."

"And how do you back that up?"

"You stayed with that... that... _slaghead_ for how long."

"A year. We were together for a year. He wasn't so bad at first-"

"And don't start _defending_ him!" Ironhide growled. "You and I both know he did _nothing_ positive for your life!"

Silence filled the room for a minute, then Autumn giggled. Then she fell back on her pillows, trying to hold a fit back by wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"And what are you _laughing_ at? Has your processor _completely_ crashed?"

"Y-You're lying!" She threw an arm over her eyes and took a few breaths. "He brought you to the house. It may be the _only_ good thing he's ever done, and it sure wasn't smart, but... believe it or not, I _am_ kind of glad I met you."

"Now _you_ lie. Autumn, you have no idea how this is going to change your life."

"So? Normality is overrated. My life was boring anyhow."

He grunted. "You'll see. It may not be boring now, but it's going to be dangerous. In a few days you'll be wishing you never met me."

"Come on. I'd never wish that."

"Do you think this is some kind of _game?_" He looked as though he were going to pick her up, then he remembered her injuries and IV line. "You have _no idea_ what it's going to be like from now on, Autumn. Now you've made Barricade angry, and he's going to do everything in his power to kill you."

"Yeah. 'Cause he knows where I am."

"Do you _remember_ what just happened? All it would have taken for Barricade to crush you was to tighten his grip. It wouldn't even have to be much. It would have been like you crumpling a piece of paper. And even _if_ it didn't kill you, you may have been hurt enough to _wish_ that it had."

She gave him a hard look. "Hey! First of all, you should be thankful to me. The only reason either of us escaped was because I managed to distract him long enough for you to get in a shot that didn't miss. In case me risking my life for you was too subtle, I was _just_ trying to help!"

"You're too small to fight something like that! One wrong move, one misstep the wrong way, and you'd be dead!"

"_I JUST DIDN'T WANT YOU TO GET HURT!_" she shouted, and her blood pressure had likely risen so high that if Ratchet had been there he'd probably have had a spark attack.

A blanket of silence hung over the room for a moment as Autumn looked down. Finally she spoke up. "Were you... Were you even going to _tell_ me?"

"Tell you what?" he muttered.

"Gee, I don't know." She was on the verge of clawing at her hair in a minute here. "Maybe that _my new truck's an robot!_ Oh, and maybe that there are _other_ robots that are evil and are out for my blood! That would have been helpful!"

He glared at her. "Okay, little fleshling. _One -_ the term 'robot' is highly offensive. Stop using it or I'll slag you right here. _Two - _that Decepticon was after me, not you. _Three - _your little processor would have crashed had I told you. I was slowly formulating a plan to get back to Colonel Lennox and his family without you-"

"Slow alright, you were at my house for a week!" She kicked at her sheets. "There were plenty of times Jared wasn't even _home!_ We were all alone and you _could_ have told me! The time I washed you, when I checked the tire pressure-"

"When you were eating your disgusting human food while driving me."

She scowled. "Hey, I didn't eat breakfast that morning. I couldn't wait to eat, and I had other stuff to do. Point is, you had like a _million_ opportunities to tell me about this and you didn't. Didn't you even consider that the family who owns you might be missing you?"

Honestly, he looked like he was ready to take a shot at her. "Of course I have! Did you think I _wanted_ to leave them? Will and Sarah are probably trying to distract Annabelle from me being gone as we speak!"

"Fu - the hell, now you're _trying_ to make me feel guilty!"

"You started it! We wouldn't even be in this situation if your leaking mate wasn't a rusty criminal!"

"_Stop trying to blame everything on me!_" She coughed and grabbed her throat, falling back onto her pillow again.

Ironhide groaned. "Would you calm down? You're going to hurt yourself."

"No," she rasped, but didn't sit but. "No, I will _not_ calm down. I admit some of it's my fault, but some of it's yours too! If you'd just told me, I could take you back right away, get my mind erased or something, and we wouldn't have had to deal with Barricade! We'd never have to deal with _each other_ again!"

He snorted. "Do you really think I _didn't_ enjoy the time I spent with you, first of all?"

"Don't lie to me. If there's one thing I hate, it's a liar."

"I'm _not_ lying," he insisted. "Do you know when the last time I had a decent wash was?"

She crossed her arms. "What, your perfect family doesn't take care of you?"

"It's not that. Usually Will is too busy with the military, Sarah does housework most of the day, and... Annabelle's three. I appreciate her effort, but she just doesn't do it right."

Autumn scoffed. "Okay, so I guess I'm not an _awful_ person."

"No. Would I have been upset about that fragger had I not cared about you?"

She let out a breath. "I guess not."

"Autumn..." He sat down on the end of the berth. "Now it is your turn to be truthful with me. Would you _truly_ have accepted it if I had told you before now? Would you have taken me back to Will?"

"... Well..." She absently scratched at her IV line. "Probably not. I probably would have told the police and been sent to an insane asylum." She crawled over and wrapped her hand around one of his fingers. "I guess I see your point, 'Hide. Sorry, I... kinda overreacted."

"I suppose I did, as well." He loosened his finger and instead ran it down the length of her hair. "I can see how going blindly into battle was your way of helping, no matter how foolish it may have been. I... believe we can call what happened a success. He retreated."

"Oh yeah. Did you see the way he was all 'Ooh, Megatron wants me back!' I think he was just afraid he was gonna get his ass handed to him by a little girl and her truck."

Ironhide laughed. "You tempt fate too much, Autumn. I don't believe you know what's good for you."

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't." She shrugged. "Speaking of me tempting fate - as soon as Ratchet clears me and I can walk, I'll drive you back to your family tonight. I'm sure they'll be relieved to have you back." She leaned against his servo, sighing. "I know I'd be."

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><p><strong>WAAAAAAAAH! IT'S ALMOST OVER, SHE'S GONNA TAKE HIM BACK TO WILL AND THEN IT'LL BE OVER!<strong>

**... Wait. NO IT WON'T! *laughs maniacally***

**Be honest, I had you there for a minute, didn't I? *more evil laughter***

**Ahem, uh, well... thanks for reading. ^^**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wowie! So yeah. Crazy about Transformers lately...**

**Well. I have the basic idea of where I'm going from here, but through it all I need ideas for a few experiences or things for 'Hide and Autumn to have together. Anybody got anything? :D**

**Hope you like!**

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><p>"What's your favorite color?"<p>

"Black. Yours?"

"Purple. Favorite movie?"

"Anything with Clint Eastwood."

"Ooh, those are classics."

"You?"

"_50 First Dates._"

"What's that about?"

"There's a guy and a girl who are in love, but the girl has this medical condition where she forgets everything that happened the next morning. Kind of makes the relationship difficult, but the guy keeps trying."

"Doesn't exactly sound like the kind of thing I'd like to be doing."

"You'd _rather_ be shooting, clearly everyone knows that."

"True."

"I just discovered you had a personality, like, not even a full day ago, and even _I_ know that."

"Noted."

"And anyway, if you _really_ loved somebody, wouldn't you do anything for them?"

"What kind of a question is that? Of course I would."

Autumn leaned forward a little in the driver seat, her arms folded over the steering wheel, her cheek resting on her wrists. Ironhide was driving, since he knew the way, but she could tell if her arms were in the way of turning. She'd been driving - which Ratchet was _completely_ against even though she could walk, which was why she'd done it - but Ironhide giving her directions while she was looking almost madly for which roads to go on got a little tiring.

"Is something wrong?" came his voice through the radio. "You look pale. Maybe you should have stayed in Med Bay. I could have driven myself back, you know."

"Nah, I'm fine." She pushed some of her auburn hair back, sighing. "I just... I'm a little sad that this is as far as it goes. You know? You've been my truck for a week, and... you've been a pretty good truck. And, I mean... as far as trigger-happy people go, you're pretty nice."

She heard him scoff. "Believe it or not, I've never gotten anyone to say _that._"

"Well, they should. You were willing to risk whether or not I'd keep your secret, or even believe it, just to protect me." She rubbed her first two fingers over the steering wheel and blinked slowly. "A bad person wouldn't do that. It took guts."

"Yeah, well... struggling against a Decepticon when you're five feet tall took guts too."

She leaned back, folding her arms over her stomach. "Tell me about that girl."

"What girl?"

"The kid you mentioned. With your family."

"Annabelle?"

"Yeah. Tell me about her."

"She just turned three years old... she's even shorter than you." She heard the smile in his voice as he talked. "She has blonde hair and brown eyes - and let me tell you, those eyes can see right through you. They can tell if you're having a bad day, and she'll be slagged before she lets you go right on having a bad day."

Autumn smiled in reply, letting out a short giggle as she twirled a strand of hair on her finger. "She sounds absolutely adorable. I bet you've been missing her."

"You have no idea. I've been with the Lennoxes since before she was a year old. I heard that Sarah's been looking around for a preschool... I won't see her as much once she starts school."

"Wow... two years, huh?" She stuck the end of the strand into her mouth. "Seems like a long time."

"Not when you're spending it in the company of people who don't treat you like trash."

She closed her eyes. "Alright, will you come off it already? I dumped his sorry ass."

"I know you did, and I commend you for it. But how much abuse did you have to endure before you came to the conclusion that he didn't deserve you?"

She pursed her lips. "... That was the only time he ever hit me."

"I'm not talking about just physical abuse." He vented through the radio. "I _heard_ him, Autumn. When he first introduced us, before you went into town, before he left for work in the mornings. His audial expression is so loud and obnoxious I could hear it from inside your house. It even woke me from recharge once." He slowed down just a little, and at first she was afraid he was going to stop, but he did keep driving.

"Ironhide..."

"Let me finish. He talked _down_ to you. He talked to you like you didn't have the capacity to understand what he was saying without having it repeated. He treated you like a child." The engine revved, and there was a pause before he said anything else. "He didn't _trust_ you."

She felt tears in her eyes, and she really didn't want to relive this right now. But she was sure he had a point in here somewhere, and she respected him enough to listen even though it was something she'd told herself a million times before. "No. He didn't. He always thought he had to remind me or I'd forget how to fucking _breathe._"

"Exactly." His steering wheel rumbled under her touch. "And do you know what a relationship that doesn't have trust at its base is like?"

"A house built on sand," she muttered. She'd seen it on the internet a long time ago, and for some reason she couldn't ever get it out of her head. And now was the moment to say it.

"No, it's like a h... oh. Yes. Yes, that's what it's like. How did you know I was going to say that?"

"I didn't." She slid one hand off the wheel and into her lap. "That's just what I was thinking."

"You're lucky Ratchet was too busy fussing over you to actually be angry at what you've been through. If any other mech did that to a femme, Ratchet would be on his aft with his biggest wrench. And a drill with a foot-long tip."

There was quiet for a minute, with him just driving and her looking out at the hot summer evening. "We're almost there," he spoke up. "You still don't look well. Should I comm Ratchet once we stop?"

"No, I'm... I'm fine. I'm just a little dizzy. Starting to get a headache."

"When you get home, I want you to get some rest. Sleep in, if you have to."

"Yeah. If I don't have to go back and get my memory erased."

"Ratchet won't do that. Anyone who basically throws herself in front of a Decepticon after meeting one of us five minutes earlier has proven that she can be trusted." He turned left into a gravel driveway. "Here we are. Good to be home." He parked, but neither of them moved yet. "It didn't occur to me until just now, but Autumn... how are _you_ going to get home? I've been acting as your car, and the slaghead's got towed, not to mention he's out of your life."

"I can call one of my friends, okay? I'll be fine. I'm just... I'm glad you'll be back with your family. Back where you belong."

"... That car deserved to be towed anyway. It's a piece of scrap and a waste of metal."

"Yup. Jared called it Sharon, but my personal favorite nickname for it has always been _Shitpot._"

"I've never heard a more fitting designation."

Autumn looked up out of the windshield to see a little girl running toward the car, and she exhaled deeply. "Guess I gotta get out now."

"If it makes you feel any better, she'll probably hug you so hard you won't be able to breathe for a breem. Consider that your punishment, I suppose."

She shook her head and unbuckled, then gripped the door handle. She sucked a breath in before pushing the door open.

Ha, he was right too. As soon as she stepped down out of the truck, the little blonde tackled her from a full speed run, throwing her arms around the older girl's waist. "T'ank you fo' bringin' 'Hidey back!" the child shouted, jumping up and down. "I luff you!"

Autumn couldn't help it, she broke into a grin and laughed. Upon request (meaning the little girl reaching for the sky, flexing her fingers), she picked the kid up. "You must be Annabelle."

"T'ank you!" She wiggled and squirmed in Autumn's arms, wrapping her own chubby little arms around the redhead's neck. After pulling the woman's head down to her level, she proceeded to plant a wet, poorly aimed kiss on Autumn's cheek. Then she leapt down and ran over to Ironhide as he transformed.

Still trying to process how she could be seen as the good guy when _she_ was the one who'd had Ironhide for a week, Autumn wiped the excess spit off her face with one wrist and rubbed at her scalp with the other hand, pushing her hair up and down as she did. "Uh, okay then..."

She looked over to see a dark-haired man and a blonde woman walking toward her, and gave a sheepish smile as they approached. "Um, hey. You, uh... must be Mr. and Mrs. Lennox. My name's Autumn Ryans."

The man extended a hand to her. "Call me Will. This is my wife, Sarah."

Autumn shook his hand, still a little cautious. "Nice to meet you." She shook Sarah's hand as well, and was a little surprised when the other woman offered her a smile. "Look, I... I feel really bad about all of this. I'm so sorry, and if there's any way I can possibly make it up to you..."

"Oh, it's alright." Sarah reached over and patted her shoulder. "All we really want is for Annie to be happy. She's been so sad with 'Hide gone. They're practically inseparable."

"I could tell... he told me about her on the way over." She glanced over her shoulder to see the little girl playing with Ironhide. "She's the cutest thing, by the way. Seriously, I'll have to go get a cavity filled on my way home," she added with a chuckle. "But, seriously, I... I feel guilty about this. If I had known..."

"To be honest," Will interrupted, and she was shocked to see that his lips were quirked up just slightly, "my biggest thing is... how the hell did you pull it off? 'Hide's not the heaviest sleeper, if you know what I mean. Did you have a clever plan, or did you just get _that_ damn lucky?"

She felt her cheeks flush red. "Uh, well, actually... it was my ex-boyfriend who actually stole him. I didn't even know he was a stolen car - or _alive -_ till he transformed today."

"He transformed in front of you?"

"Yeah, well..." She rubbed her arm. "It was earlier, after I broke up with Jared... I went out driving with 'Hide and while I was driving back, there was a police car tailing us... and he said it was a Decepticon. So he kicked me out and transformed to fight it."

Will scoffed. "How far did you run before 'Hide found you again?"

"I... didn't run." She looked over again at Ironhide, who now had Annabelle on his shoulder. "He told me more than once to get out of there, but I didn't. I couldn't just leave while he was being attacked... I mean... for the last week, he's been _my_ truck, you know? He kind of blew my mind, but I wasn't going to leave him there."

Will laughed, and it was the first time she'd seen him crack a full smile since she'd shook his hand. "You don't look like you got hurt, though. Did you stash a gun in 'Hide's interior or something? 'Cause he would've actually encouraged it."

"No. The thing picked me up and I swear he was gonna crush me to death. Then 'Hide shot him and caught me." She reached up, rubbing under her left breast. "Ratchet said I bruised some ribs on this side. Here, let me turn..." She pivoted just a little, allowing them to see the extent of what the fall did. "I don't think I fell that far, but if I would've hit the concrete instead of 'Hide's hand, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

Will smothered a chuckle. "Ratchet? Wow, some check-up that must have been. Tell you the truth, I'm surprised that you're here right now if you were in Med Bay earlier. The doc doesn't exactly like his patients running off doing dangerous or stressful things. Like driving a big mech with a trigger finger back to the people he got stolen from."

"Hey, he just said I had to be able to _walk._ Between us..." She leaned forward a little, cupping her hand. "He _didn't_ want me doing this. I kind of did it just to piss him off, it seemed fun."

Will held up his hands while Sarah giggled. "You shouldn't trust me with that kind of intel, Autumn."

"Yeah, probably not..." She glanced down, fighting a smile. "But look, anyway, I'm so unbelievably _sorry_ about this..."

All at once Sarah stopped laughing and took a step closer to Autumn. "Oh my God! Will, would you look at this?" She reached over and moved the girl's hair from in front of her forehead, the part she had specifically tried to hide. The bruise. "How in the world did this happen? Did you roll when you fell?"

Autumn closed her eyes, trying to fight back the tears. While Jared _hadn't_ been the ideal boyfriend, he _was_ the only stable relationship she'd had in the last five years or more. "No. M... My... ex. It's..." She opened her eyes, swallowing. "It's kind of a long story."

There was a gleam of sympathy in Sarah's eyes, and she wrapped an arm around the younger woman. "Sounds like you've had a long day. Why don't you come inside and you can explain everything? We've got time."

* * *

><p><strong>DUN DUN DUN.<strong>

**Aww, is it true? Can it be? Is this "as far as it goes"?**

**Also... ASDFGHJKL Annabelle! Cutest thing ever! Mwaha. I have you wit zee child cuteness, a weapon from which you cannot run!**

**Well, anyway, hopefully I'll have the next one done soon. Hope you liked this one! ^^**


	6. Chapter 6

**Has it been a while, or is it just me?**

**Dr. Cox: Just you! *stones me with rocks***

**Me: Hey! *shields self* I thought you only stoned surgeons with rocks.**

**Dr. Cox: Surgeons, writers, you know. *continues* You're a bad person! It HAS been a long time, you know it, and it's not just you!**

**Me: You're not even in this story, you freak! *shoves him out* Now go sing Waffle Time or something!**

**Anyway. I have an important message, and it goes something like this:**

**YOU KNOW WHAT, GO ON. GO AHEAD, SEE WHAT HAPPENS IF WE GET TO 100 REVIEWS BEFORE CHAPTER 10. I THINK I WILL FREAK AND I WILL MAKE IRONHIDE JOIN ME.**

**Ironhide: *pulls out cannons* Go on, punks... ****_make my day._**

**Me: Good one! *high fives* I thought you were gonna say "You feelin' lucky?" again, but that was a good one!**

**I have a few twists coming up... hopefully I'll get to one of them soon, and I don't think it's what any of you are expecting.**

**... OK, be honest. You're just WAITING for her to get kidnapped by Barricade so Ironhide can come rescue her, aren't you?**

**... Yeah. Yeah, that's what I thought. Oh well, in some recess of my brain I probably planned on that anyway...**

**Hope you guys enjoy! More coming your way hopefully soon! :D**

* * *

><p>"Your ex sounds like a raging dick-a-holic."<p>

Autumn almost spit out a mouthful of rum and Coke upon hearing Will say what was clearly on his mind, but she managed to swallow it and ended up coughing instead. Though, only because she was laughing so hard. When she looked up from her mini fit, she saw Will grinning and Sarah nodding her head in agreement, trying to hold back a laugh. She quickly put her drink (or what was left of it) down and collapsed in the chair trying to hold back more giggles.

After a minute she let it fizzle out into a sigh, and shook her head. "Y'know, you guys are my kind of people. You're fun. It makes me feel _really_ bad for holding your truck hostage."

Sarah smiled and stood up, reaching down and grabbing the nearly empty glass. "Autumn, is this what normally happens when you have more than one drink?"

"No...!" She pushed herself back up and waved her hands. "No, usually I'm not so bad. Can I have the last sip?"

Will moved his arm forward to block their new friend from grabbing at the glass, though he was laughing the whole time. "Whoa! You're one _last sip_ away from slurring your words and having a hangover tomorrow."

She pouted, but just let out a breath and closed her eyes. "I've just... had a really shitty day. I mean, meeting Ironhide was cool and all, but... I mean, he was _my boyfriend._ You know? I hated the way he was and... and he did drugs, and he drank a lot, and... believe me, this is nothin' compared to his drinking... and... 'Hide was right. He thought I was _dumb._ Can you believe that?"

She opened her eyes. "But... I just... half wish he was still with me. What am I supposed to do now, you know? I finished college, but I only worked long enough for the down payment on the house and I got fired, and he was working."

Sarah looked over at Will, then and grabbed the rest of the glasses. She motioned her head to Autumn and mouthed something before heading to the kitchen. "I'm just gonna wash these out, they can stain like you wouldn't believe. Be right back, _children._"

By that time Autumn had thrown an arm over her eyes and was trying not to burst out in tears. After all, what had Jared _ever_ done good for her besides "introduce" her to Ironhide? She shouldn't be upset about dumping his sorry ass, kicking him to the curb, and coming at him with a baseball bat and full intentions to beat his brains out. And she didn't regret doing it, but financial insecurity scared the living daylights out of her.

Will looked back at his wife in the kitchen, then sighed before leaning forward. "Autumn? Hey?"

She sat up, letting her arm fall down. "Uh-huh?"

"What, uh... what'd you go to college for?"

She rolled her eyes. "Marketing. I mean, how stupid is that?" She blew a raspberry and twirled her finger. "Big whoop. I only chose it 'cause I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Two years of tuition down the drain, since I pretty much suck at it."

He nodded, then scratched his head. "So, uh... seems like you really like 'Hide."

She smiled. "He's pretty great, isn't he? I mean, _you_ guys already know that. I can't believe it, you know? He... he was willing to give up his secret, not even knowing whether he could trust me or not, just to keep me safe." She crossed her legs, slinking down in the chair and closing her eyes. "What a guy, right?"

He raised an eyebrow, leaning back. "Well, uh, yeah, I guess..." _What a guy?_ Wasn't that something people said either to convince their friend to go out on a blind date or when they just came back from a date with a great man? "You... wanna keep seeing him?"

She shrugged, straightening herself up. "Y'know, that would be _awesome._ But I can't, since he's back with you now. My work is done, all I had to do was return the truck my dumbass ex stole."

"Yeah, well, I got an idea." He clapped his hands, then rubbed them together and grinned at her. "How would you like to join the super top-secret military team known as N.E.S.T.? You'd get to see 'Hide everyday."

Her eyes widened, and she almost felt like jumping out of her chair. Seeing Ironhide everyday? That would be a freaking _dream._ "What?! Can... Can you do that?"

"Hey, sure. The only real qualification for the specialized training is you have to be willing not to blab about the 'Bots, and you've kinda already proven you don't have the loose lips that usually get blamed for sinking ships." He put his arm around Sarah once she'd come back in and sat down beside him. "I can pull a few strings. Or give Galloway a kick in the ass, whichever works better."

"I vote that second one," Sarah joked, nudging Will in the stomach with her elbow. "And have someone take video of it. Ironhide would get a laugh out of it."

"Yeah, he already hates the guy!" Will pulled his wife closer and brought his hand down to rest on her hip. "I bet I could probably even pull some higher-up strings and get you partnered with 'Hide for most missions. What do you say, Autumn?"

She crossed her arms, tilting her head. "Military, huh?" After a few minutes of pondering and silence, her admittedly impressive poker face was broken by a huge smile. "My parents never wanted me in the military, but if it means I get to keep seeing Ironhide, they're just gonna have to deal with it!" She reached over and grabbed his hand. "So, should I show up tomorrow, or...?"

"Nah, tomorrow's a Friday." He waved his hand at her. "Why don't you just, you know, sleep off your teeny hangover-"

"I had _one_ drink."

"Okay, okay, duly noted." He stood up. "If you email me your resumé, I'll turn it in to Galloway tomorrow. And by 'turn it in', I mean 'shove it down his throat while being flanked by two giant Autobots who both think you'd make a great soldier'." He winked and gave her a thumbs up. "Oh, and also 'one Autobot is more than prepared to shoot you into Nairobi's next week, and the other will happily put a wrench up your ass if it'll get the job done'. But yeah, I'm sure Ratchet and 'Hide will back me on this. You know where the base is, and we _just_ got settled in this location, so I doubt he'll refuse. I'll text you my email later, okay?"

"Okay." She shakily got to her feet, and was glad to see that the room was, in fact, _not_ spinning. "Oh good, I'm not drunk. For a minute there I thought I was, and then I thought, 'Who the _hell_ is so bad at holding their liquor they get tipsy after one drink?' Anyway, I should probably head home, it's getting dark."

She walked over and hugged Sarah, then gave Will a friendly punch on the shoulder. "Thanks for everything, you guys are great. I should hang out here again some time."

Sarah grabbed Autumn's shoulder. "Hey, I have an idea! Will and I are looking for a regular babysitter. Ironhide trusts you, and I think it's pretty clear that Annie likes you. How about weekends? You know, like Friday or Saturday nights when Will and I want to go out. Plus," she added, her eye sparkling with some unspoken exchange just between the women, "you don't usually work weekends at N.E.S.T., so it'd mean you would get to see Ironhide more."

"Deal!" Autumn grinned. "You don't even have to pay me. Time with Ironhide _and_ Annabelle? That's like paying me overtime. Sheesh, woman, slow down."

Sarah laughed. "Will, I like her. She's hilarious. I think you'll do great with Annie, Autumn. Start next Saturday?"

"I _could_ start this Saturday, if you want."

"No way, Red." Will grabbed her by the shoulders and started leading her toward the door. "The stuff we do is hard-core, working with the Autobots. I want you to rest for the weekend and be in top form to start your training. I'll make sure 'Hide and I see to it personally, since there's not much going on right now, but that doesn't mean we'll go easy on you."

"See you soon, Autumn!" Sarah called. "Will, send Annie in. It's past her bedtime."

"Can do, honey. She'll be in soon." He gave Autumn a gentle push outside, shutting the door behind him. "Hey, Anna Banana! Mommy wants you inside, kiddo, it's bedtime!"

It was a little hard to see because it was getting dark, but Autumn could see Annabelle run over from her place with Ironhide into Will's arms. "But _Daddy!_ Me 'n' 'Hidey havin' so mush fun!"

"Too bad, sweetie pie. He'll be here tomorrow." He blew a raspberry on her cheek, to which she responded by giggling and kicking her feet (Autumn knew because she was kicked in the side by a tiny, soft little foot), and then put her down. "Go on in, I'm sure she's already got your jammies ready. I'll come read you a story in a minute."

"_Cinderella!_" Annabelle requested loudly, then opened the door and ran inside. They just barely caught her squeal of "_Mommy!_" before the door closed.

"She tire you out yet, 'Hide?" Will chuckled as the Autobot came closer.

"Please," he scoffed. He was even harder to see, since his coloring blended in with the night. "We do not tire as easily as you." He glanced down at Autumn, who was attempting to find her way off the porch step without breaking her leg in the darkness. "Is she overcharged?"

"One drink! I had _one God-damned drink!_" Autumn protested, looking up and therefore ignoring where she was placing her foot.

"Frag!" Immediately Ironhide's servo was underneath her, somewhat cushioning her fall. It wasn't from as far this time, so it barely hurt. "Primus, Autumn, look where you're going. Are you _trying _to give me a spark attack?"

She glared up at him. "Thanks for catching me again, jerk. I gotta call Traci, I'm sure she's off work by now..."

"Nah, won't hear of it." Will gripped Autumn's arm. "'Hide, could you drive her home?"

"I knew it." He transformed and popped open his back door. "I knew I'd end up hauling your sorry aft home, Autumn. Did I not, as the humans say, _call it?_"

"Yeah yeah, shut up," she mumbled as Lennox helped her off the step and led her over to the truck. "I just wanna go home, it's been a hell of a day. I'm gonna have to buy a new car. With any luck, this one won't turn out to be an alien that can turn itself into a twenty-foot-tall robot. Oh yeah, and I'll see you on Monday, Will."

"Why will you see him on Monday?" Ironhide asked as she climbed into the backseat.

"'Cause I'm going to beat it over Galloway's chrome dome that she'd make an excellent N.E.S.T. soldier," Will answered, leaning against the hood. "She managed not to get killed by a Decepticon. Granted, you were with her, but didn't she say the thing picked her up and then dropped her from, like, ten feet? Over three feet can be lethal. And clearly she struggled with the damn thing too, if her personality is any indication."

"She did," Ironhide snickered. "She was screaming my name the entire time, but she was kicking and trying to get her arms free. I think if she hadn't been so terrified she would have spit in his faceplates. You should have tried that, Autumn - _that_ would have gotten him to drop you in, like... a nanoklik."

"Do I even wanna know what the hell that is?" she mumbled, making herself comfortable by lying facedown on the seats and letting her arm dangle down onto the floor.

Will snorted out a laugh, then walked around and put his hand on the door. "Autumn, get some shuteye on the way home, okay? I'll text you tomorrow and you can email me your resumé so I can roll it up and annoying Galloway by whacking it against his big bald head. He's not really bald, Autumn, just so you know... that's what makes it funnier."

"Kay," she yawned, curling her legs up.

"You clean my interior on Monday," Ironhide grumbled, revving his engine. "I'll be back soon, Will."

"Alright, don't you kids have too much fun," he chuckled as he shut the door. "Keep her safe, okay, 'Hide?"

For a moment, the truck didn't say anything, but his heavy venting was heard. "If I can keep her safe from a Decepticon, I can keep her safe from anything. You can be certain she won't be hanging around with any more glitches like the last one."

Will frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. "You mean the one who gave her that bruise on her head?"

"It angers me to even think about it," Ironhide hissed. "Not he nor anyone has any kind of right to disrespect a femme like that. They should not be putting their hands where they don't belong. That micro-brain _hurt_ her on _purpose._ You don't see any of _us_ going around and smacking femmes in the face, do you? Next time one of them tries something like that with Autumn, they'll find their fragging hand slammed in my door."

His engines kicked in high gear, making the truck rumble. There was a thud from inside and then the muffled sound of Autumn yelling, "_I'm trying to get some sleep, glitchy freakin' truck!_"

Ironhide growled. "Alright, femme. I'll let you have that one for free, because I know you've been through a lot today. But if I find out you caused a dent, you'll be spending _this_ weekend buffing it out."

_Thunk._

"_How was that one?_"

* * *

><p>"You haven't said a word the entire ride, Autumn. Do you expect me to believe that fake snoring, or is something bothering you?"<p>

She looked down at the floor, and traced a circle with her finger in the carpet. "Ironhide..."

"Yes?"

"Have you ever..." She shrugged. "Wanted to do something, but... you're worried about how well you can do it?"

He slowed down a little. "You're talking about you working with N.E.S.T., aren't you?"

"Yeah." She folded her arms under her chin and sighed. "I... I don't know if I'll be good enough. I mean, I didn't get killed today, but... that was only because _you_ were protecting me."

"Are you serious, Autumn?" She heard him chuckle through the radio. "I told you to run, to get as far away from Barricade as possible. And guess what? You _didn't._ You just stood there, of course, but when I got a glimpse at your face, you looked like you were about to charge him before he picked you up. You'll do fine. They'll put you through training, and once you get the ability to shoot a gun, I think you'll be blowing out more than a few Decepticons' processors."

"Pfft. Okay, that makes me feel awesome." She closed her eyes. "First thing tomorrow, I'm calling the police and telling him my ex-asshole and his stoner pals have drugs. I hope they get thrown in jail again."

"I would do it myself, if I knew where he was."

She grinned. "I say he's halfway to Mexico by now, with the way he was running."

"Autumn, I don't want to talk about him anymore. It wasn't fair what he did to you, and he doesn't deserve to be a part of your future."

"Yeah, okay." She nestled herself into and the seat and patted it. "Yeah, you're a good truck, 'Hide. Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome."

She let everything in her body go lax, and took a deep breath. He'd switched to the radio, and she wasn't sure how, but the song playing somehow put her to sleep.

_... A warning, to the prophet; the liar, the honest_

_This... is... war_

_To the leader, the pariah; the victor, the messiah_

_This... is... war...!_

_It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie_

_The moment to live and the moment to die_

_The moment to fight, the moment to fight_

_To fight, to fight, to fight!_

_To the right, to the left_

_We will fight to the death_

_To the edge of the Earth_

_It's a brave new world from the last to the first..._

_To the right, to the left_

_We will fight to the death..._

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry, the lyrics were a bit long again. Song is "This is War" by 30 Seconds to Mars. Strikes me as the kind of thing Ironhide would listen to, LOL.<strong>

**... I must go make a video of the Transformers to this. I saw an awesome one for TF Prime the other day, and I wonder if there's one for the movies. I think that Prime is the easiest one to make videos for that have effects, 'cause you can see both the vid and the effects pretty clearly, though I have no idea why...**

**Ooh by the way... Starscream in TF Prime? Sexiest thing ever, I love that they had Steve Blum voice him. Teehee hurr durr. Turns me into a puddle of fangirl goo every time. I swear he voiced Screamer just so he could make Orochimaru's voice come out of a giant robot.**

**Also... DEM HEELS. That is all.**

**I hope you guys liked! I wasn't sure how to go for this chapter, but I was looking at it yesterday and I was like, "Huh. I should get this up, I'm a lazy arse."**

**Ironhide: *optic roll* You do a wonderful impression... of yourself.**

**Me: *chases him out with a broom* Back into the closet with my other muses! You'll get your turn again later.**

**Thanks for reading! ^^**


	7. Chapter 7

**FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA~**

**I'm in zee holiday spirit for some reason. I just updated my other Ironhide story, and I figured I should do this one as well. XD This is a bit more of a transition too, with my excuse as I wanted some humor, but a plot point begins toward the end... end/middle? I dunno.**

**And Jared's a dick and an idiot. ANYHOO. Autumn clearly called the cops on his ass.**

**ANYHOO~**

**Also, I agree with everyone about Starscream's heels. Also, his legs. I would like to just hug his legs and never let go. But I do so love Knock Out too. He gets so very mad because I like to call him Knockers. 8D**

**Also, a bit of funniness that I must share with you. My cousin was over the other day (she's like ten, BTW) and I showed her the video where Starscream does his "All Hail Starscream" dance. She was trying not to laught through the whole thing, but when he actually gyrated his hips to the Vehicons' chanting, she lost it. |D We watched it three times and I made her do the dance with me before she left.**

**On that note, ALL HAIL STARSCREAM! ALL HAIL STARSCREAM!**

**... Enjoy the chapter and try not to get nightmares from my insanity. :D**

* * *

><p><em>"Haha, you bitch! You Goddamn bitch! You know where I'm calling from? Yeah, I'm calling you from jail! I'm wasting my one phone call on <em>_**you!**__ And you're not even FUCKING HOME! Hahahahaha! Ain't that a kick in the fucking teeth? I know it was you. You're the only one who knows. And you trust me, I will __**fucking find you.**__ When I get out of here, you're gonna fucking pay for-!"_

Autumn snorted and pressed the stop button on her answering machine. "Bye, Jared." She pulled her cell phone back from the speaker and giggled when she heard Ironhide and Ratchet guffawing on the other end. "Did you guys hear that? He's gonna _fucking find me._ I'd like to see that!"

_"He's even more of a fool than I previously assumed,"_ Ratchet snickered. _"Does he really believe calling you from his place in a brig will accomplish anything? Proving his own shortcomings, perhaps."_

"That's the single most idiotic thing I've ever heard in all my years," Ironhide added. _"He needs to accept that it's over. He is truly pathetic."_

"Isn't he though?" She leaned back, grinning. "Stupidest thing ever. Anyway, I just thought I'd give you guys a laugh before I headed down to the dealership to find a new car. And 'Hide, don't worry - no matter what kind of a car I get, you'll always be _my truck._"

She heard Ratchet laugh. _"Preemptively strike on your jealousy, Ironhide. How intelligent. She's growing on me."_

_"She's not the only thing growing on you, you old rust-bucket. Why don't you get back to throwing your wrenches at Sideswipe and Sunstreaker?"_

She rolled her eyes. "Hey, come on now. Am I gonna have to come down there and give you two what for? What are you doing there, anyway? I thought Will said you don't work Saturdays."

_"I usually don't since I have a family, but Ratchet doesn't have one. Though his med bay is over here and it's kind of like his family, so he usually stays on weekends."_

_"Hey!"_

_"Oh, put a pipe in it, you know it's true. Optimus had to call me down here because of a few mistakes on my report about you."_

"Really? Like what?"

_"... Namely... the fact that Ratchet didn't want you going to return me to Will. I... may have written down that he had given you the... what do you say? The __**green light.**__"_

_"May have?!" she heard Ratchet shout. "You lied and said that I encouraged her to do it because it would be exercise! That it would somehow __**improve**__ her condition! How are you feeling anyway, Autumn? The trip didn't give you an embolus, did it?"_

Autumn shook her head. How overprotective. "Uh, Ratchet, while I appreciate that first question, you should stick to what you know best. I don't actually think it's possible to get an embolism from _walking._"

_"Walking before you were __**ready!**__"_ he retorted, and she could imagine him grumbling and crossing his arms as he said it.

"Ohh, calm down, Ratchet. I'm fine." She folded one arm over her knee and leaned forward, tossing her hair. "I heard you guys talk about Optimus earlier. Is he, like, your leader?"

_"Of our team, yes. When you come on Monday, we'll need to introduce you. From what Ratchet tells me, he's eager to meet you."_

"Oh, that's good. I was afraid he'd be a little upset by the excitement I caused." She twirled a strand of hair around her finger and stared blankly at the TV which was broadcasting _SpongeBob Squarepants._ "I'm glad to hear that - you tell him I'm looking forward to it too."

_"Can do. Uh, Autumn... are you sure you don't want me to come and drive you? I'm obligated to ask, and you can thank Ratchet for that unnecessary question because he's the one who ran his manifold mouth."_

_"Shut up, glitchhead! Is it WRONG that I'm concerned for her safety?"_

_"No, but you don't have to treat her like a little sparkling! I think she would know to seek medical attention if something was wrong!"_

_"Autumn, how are your ribs?"_ Ratchet yelled, and there was the distinct sound of a metal-on-metal scrape. _"Are you still having trouble breathing?"_

_"Get away from the phone, you sentient scrapheap!"_ she heard Ironhide growl._ "You break it and we have to get Will a new one for the third time in a deca-cycle, which isn't exactly the best track record!"_

She stifle a laugh and smacked the phone against the table. "Hey, you two, knock it off! I'll come over there myself and bash your heads together!"

_"I don't t think so, Autumn! Doctor Hatchet over here has convinced me that it would be __**strenuous!**__"_

_"I TOLD YOU __**NEVER**__ TO CALL ME THAT! GIVE ME THE HANDHELD COMMUNICATION DEVICE!"_

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Autumn shouted, her shoulders shooting up to her ears. "Now, I don't know what your phrase is for this, but if you guys don't stop arguing, _I will buy a gun just so I can pop some caps in your asses!_" After a moment of silence from the other end, she swallowed. "Guys, look, I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

_"Autumn, if you keep yelling and raise your blood pressure, I swear to Primus and the AllSpark I'm going to-!"_

A _clang_ sound reverberated through the phone, and Autumn raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Ratchet?"

_"He's fine,"_ came Ironhide's slightly more cheery voice. _"Decided to take a nap right there. Rather rude, if you ask me, but-"_

She threw a hand over her mouth and tried to hold back a fit of laughter. "Oh God, Ironhide, you _didn't!_"

_"Indeed I did. He was quickly becoming more annoying than I could tolerate. Anyway, are you absolutely certain you couldn't use a lift? Irritating as he was, Ratchet had a point somewhere about you barely recovering before you rode back to the Lennoxes with me."_

She reached down and rubbed beneath her breast, wincing a bit when her hand came in contact with what was obviously a bruised rib. "No, I'm alright. I feel a little better now that I got some sleep. Some walking will probably do me good. But maybe if you could just tell Ratchet to send me some pain medicine? Whatever he used yesterday did the trick for a few hours."

_"No problem. Once he comes to... err, I mean, wakes up, I'll have him write you a prescription."_

* * *

><p>Autumn tried not to let her pain control her as she looked around at the different cars on Bobby Bolivia's lot. She knew what kind of a person he was, and he seemed like the type who would take advantage of her if he thought she wasn't in top physical form. She would have gone to a different dealership, but this was the closest to where she lived; she wasn't <em>walking<em> fifty miles just to talk to a better salesman.

The selection of cars wasn't amazing, to be honest. There were a few Impalas, most of them not in great condition; some different GM models; and, surprisingly, a Volvo. She would have honestly loved the Volvo, if she didn't think it would be out of her price range. And those were just the ones in fair condition.

She glanced over at the side of the lot where some of the slightly junkier cars were - they'd probably be cheaper, and maybe she could find one that was in good enough condition to run. She sighed and resignedly walked over, passing by an old Toyota Camry, probably from the '80s. Silver and with the door half hanging off. Ouch. She felt bad for whoever got suckered into that deal.

After looking around for a few minutes, she saw a color she liked, a super metallic variation of hunter green. She quickly walked down the center and veered over to check it out. And she liked what she saw: a 2005 Chrysler Jeep, the TJ Rubicon model. Its paint job had clearly seen better days, but it did look to still be running. "Cute car!" she squealed under her breath, not loud enough for Bobby to hear her. If he knew she liked it, he'd jack up the price.

She got a little closer, and had barely touched the handle of the driver's door when it just popped open, almost by itself. She blinked a few times, then shrugged before hoisting herself up and sliding into the seat. A light purr of the engine startled her, and she reached down toward the gearshift to steady herself. "Is this thing _on...?_"

She didn't shut the door, but gripped the steering wheel and was shocked by what she saw. Where the horn button should be, there was instead... a weird symbol. It looked like the one she'd seen on Ironhide's wheel, in the same place. She hadn't gotten an extensive look at it before, but she knew it when she saw it. What was it? - the Autobot symbol.

Her eyes widened, and she scrambled out of the Jeep. This was another Autobot. She'd managed to find _two alien cars!_ Shit, shit, holy shit. She reached in briefly to grab her purse and slung it over her shoulder, never taking her eyes off the car. "Yo, Bobby! How much for the Jeep?"

"_That_ thing?" he yelled from across the lot. "You want _that_ ole piece of junk, baby?"

"Yeah! How much? And it better be under $3000!"

"Ehhh... I'll give it to ya for, say, $2550?"

She grinned and shut the door, turning around and wondering if the other Autobots even knew there was another one of them here. "Where do I sign?"

* * *

><p><strong>MWAHAHAHAHA I AM DEVIOUS.<strong>

**Anyone care to guess who Autumn's new car is? :D I'll give you a hint: it's a G-1 Autobot, though I tweaked the alt mode a little to make it a bit more modern. Give my own little twist on it.**

**'Hide will probably be jealous until he figures out that it's an Autobot. XD He's so possessive.**

**... And adorable.**

**I know it's weird to call Ironhide adorable, it makes me sound like a raving fangirl - which I am, except that's not the point - but it's TRUE~ He's so freaking cute.**

**Anyway, hope y'all liked, and there shall be much more actioning-ish... stuff... in the next chapter.**

**Till then, happy 'Con hunting! And thankies for reading! ^^**


	8. Chapter 8

**Soooooo... yeah. Felt like updating. XD Hope everyone had a good holiday!**

**All your guesses were good, and I think that most of you will discover in this chapter that you were... RIGHT. Not wrong, not left, RIGHT. 8D**

**Ahem. I'd like to thank y'all, and props to Khalthar for making me laugh when I got their review. Inspired me for the beginning of this chapter, so much thanks for that, lol!**

**Love you guys, and I hope you enjoy the update! Like I said, there'll be a twist coming up soon... and, with the right motivation (meaning that we reach 100 reviews before chapter 10), I may just drop a few hints as to what it is...**

**Well, bit of a filler, but it's got some humor. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Once Autumn had finally signed all the paperwork (she made a quick job of it because Bobby was starting to annoy the living hell out of her) she drove her new Jeep off the lot. It took a moment to start it up, though once she had the key in the ignition, smacking it a few times did the trick. She turned the radio on, though all she picked up was some station that played all Disney music. Did stations even do that? She didn't think they did, so that must be the Autobot's tastes...<p>

Finally, she drove back to the ledge over the beach where she'd driven Ironhide after kicking Jared out. There was nobody around, whereas if she'd gone home she would have to be more careful about finding out who this guy was. She parked and took the key out, but the radio still played - of course, she'd expected that. And it was blaring "Part of Your World," to boot. She leaned back a little and tapped the break with one foot, just enough to get the attention of this Autobot but not enough to push it down. "Okay."

She reached over and rapped her knuckles against the dashboard, before crossing her arms over her chest. "Hey, you. Yeah... yeah, _you._" She sighed and combed through her hair. "What's your name?" Still getting silence, she rolled her eyes. "Alright, come on. I _know_ you can talk and transform and all that, so just give it up."

No answer, except the air inside the car suddenly seemed colder. Like the vents were spitting out air conditioning instead of heat.

She bit her lip and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Come _on!_ I know you're not a random Jeep I just bought. You've got the freaking Autobot symbol on your horn, so seriously. Just tell me your name." Sensing what might be the problem, she pushed the door open and hopped out. "C'mon! I know Ironhide!"

There was a noise that sounded like someone shuddering, then the Jeep's plates began to shift and move. After a few seconds of that, she was now suddenly staring at another giant robot, like Ironhide and Ratchet, but the same color as the Jeep had been. He offlined and onlined his optics, then knelt down a little. "You _know?_"

She grinned. "Well, if I didn't before, I do now!"

He threw a servo over his mouth. "O-Oops!"

"Aw, don't worry." She walked a little closer, still smiling. "I've met Ironhide and Ratchet. 'Hide saved my life, in fact."

"Oh really?" He rubbed at the back of his neck. "I, um... I'm sorry about that. I was just a little paranoid at first. For a minute there I thought I was the guardian of a crazy person. I mean, you were talking to me and I thought you were just having a glitchy moment because I hear humans talk to their cars, but-"

"Hey, wait." She raised an eyebrow. "Guardian?"

"Yeah. Don't you feel the bond?" He tilted his helm to one side. "Well, I mean... being a guardian is kind of... what it sounds like, I guess. You protect whoever your charge is, and there's a bond involved. Kind of like the one between sparkmates, but it's not quite as strong, and besides if you're a guardian there's not necessarily a romantic-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Autumn threw her hands up toward him. "Back up, you're losing me. You gotta go a little slower. So, starting from the beginning. You're... my _guardian?_"

"Yeah. I could feel the bond when you got near me, but it must be different for you."

"Okay, got it." She reached behind her to put both hands on her lower back, just above her rear; it'd suddenly felt sore. "So, what's your name?"

"I'm Hound!" He winked at her and then crossed his arms. "The others like to call me Sarge, but I'd really prefer it if you didn't."

"Hound, huh? I like that name." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a hair band to tie up her hair. "Mine's Autumn Ryans. You can just call me Autumn."

"That's a pretty name. So, um... where are the others?"

"At the base." She replaced her hands on her back, wincing. "I'm going back on Monday to start my training, so I'll introduce you then."

"Good. Wait, what training?"

"For, uh... what did they call it... N.E.S.T. It's a military group _specifically_ for wiping out Decepticons, which I think is pretty cool."

He grinned. "Sounds great! I can't wait to get back to the others. Hey, mind if I pick you up? I kinda wanna see how my new charge feels. You know, in my servo. 'Cause with me being your guardian and all, that's probably where you're gonna be a lot of the time," he elaborated, laughing.

She shot a grin back, arching herself just slightly to try and get rid of this persistent soreness in her spine. "Sure!" She took a few steps toward him, raising her eyebrow. "Just handle with care, alright?" she requested, cautiously climbing up into his palm. "I'm not in the greatest shape of my life at the moment."

"Oh?" He was surprisingly gentle as he scooped her up into his servo, using one digit to rub at her head. "Well, I hear humans' virus protection isn't so great so I guess I'm not surprised. Anything I can do to help?"

When she finally touched him, a sort of sudden warmth washed over her. It spread through her body and tingled a bit - kind of like what happened when she wore that one God-awful sweater her mom had gotten her for a birthday, but a nicer form of that. Without the pain of having the nerve endings in her fingertips fried every time she touched something metal. It felt like... as long as her wellbeing was in his hands, she was safe. Was that what it was like to have a guardian? "Hey, I feel it, I think," she muttered, looking down a little bit.

"What's that, Autumn?"

"I think I can feel our bond," she repeated louder, pushing her hair back. "Does it feel like-"

"Really warm all over?" he chuckled. "Yeah, that's it. Good to know you can feel it too! It's a relief, actually, 'cause I've heard all these horror stories about bots that have a bond with their charge, but their charge doesn't have a bond with _them._ It's kinda processor-boggling to think about, and I wouldn't want to be in that situation! So... _mech,_ am I glad it kicked in!"

She giggled, lying back on his palm. "I like you, Hound." As she leaned back, she grimaced briefly, but apparently it was enough for Hound to catch.

"Hey, Autumn, are you okay?" He gently caressed over the top of her head with the tip of one digit. "Seems like you're damaged. You're not, are you?"

She shook her head, trying to breathe deeply. "_God..._ well, I would be a hell of a lot more damaged if it weren't for Ironhide."

"And hey, speaking of that old bucket of bolts-!" A fond look crossed over Hound's faceplates, and he looked happy at the mention of the weapons specialist, now that he was actually focusing on the words and not just feelings. "How's he doing? How many scars has he got now?"

She blinked a few times, wringing her hands. "I, uh... I've only seen the one. Above his eye?"

"Oh yeah! I remember that one. Don't let him fool you though, I bet he's got more." He snorted a little, his shoulders shaking with held-back laughter. "With _his_ temper, I'd even put my bottom credit on it!"

She giggled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't I know it," she agreed, looking up at the cloudy blue sky. (She kind of saw a cloud that looked like cotton candy, but she wouldn't say that out loud. He'd think she was batty.) "The only reason I even know about him is because there was a Decepticon on his tail when I was driving-"

"Whoa!" Hound interrupted again, though she didn't mind. It was kind of cute, honestly, the youthful enthusiasm he approached the situation with. "You mean you actually got up close and personal with one of them? And _lived?_" He whistled lowly - she wondered exactly _how,_ but she decided she was perfectly fine with not knowing. "Some human I've got as a charge!"

She scoffed, closing her eyes. "Well, Ironhide did most of the work. He transformed just so he could kick the 'Con's ass and keep me safe. All I managed to do was stand there like an idiot and get myself in an evil robot - I mean, an evil Cybertronian's clutches! And let me tell you, they don't let go for much."

Hound barked out a short laugh, setting his digit across her stomach. "Cybertron below me! You've got bearings of steel, Autumn. Not running away even with _all that?_ Weren't you scared?"

"Oh, darn right I was." She shifted a little, the damn pain in her back still wouldn't go away. "But I couldn't just leave Ironhide, you know. He'd been my truck for a week! I wasn't giving him up without a fight. He saved me though - shot at the 'Con, and got me dropped. Caught me from ten feet in the air. Ratchet patched me up a little, but I still hurt quite a bit."

Hound reached up with a digit on his other servo and poked the bruise on her forehead. "Is that how you got this too? Nasty!"

She gritted her teeth when he touched it; after all, it was still far from healed. "Um, no. I got this... uh, well... somewhere else."

"Primus! How did it happen then? It looks recent." He was about to say something else - ask another question, probably - but he stopped when he saw the look on her face and recognized the tone of her voice. "Oh... well, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Autumn. I mean, I understand about that kind of thing."

She sighed and bit her lip. She wanted him to know about it, but she didn't feel like bringing Jared up at the moment. "I'll tell you later, okay, Hound? I just... I'd rather not talk about it right now."

"Yeah, sure, that's fine. I'm not gonna force you to tell me or anything." He ran his digit down the rest of her face before curling it a bit around her hand. "Just... I'm your guardian, you know? Whenever you're ready... _if_ you're ready to talk about it... I'll be here to listen."

"Thanks, Hound." She opened her eyes a little, but squinted because it suddenly looked like the sky had gotten brighter. "Hey, would... you mind driving me home? I think I need to lay down, then I have to call Ironhide."

"Sure!" He put her back on the ground, then transformed back into the Jeep. "Hop in! Smooth ride, I promise."

"Okay." She carefully climbed back into the driver seat and shut the door, buckling herself in. "I can't want to call 'Hide. I'll pretend like you're just a car, and he'll get jealous."

He laughed through the radio and revved his engine. "Oh, promise you'll let me listen in! Ironhide being jealous is always so funny. There was this one time on Cybertron, I asked this femme to a dance, and I didn't know that at the time, she was going with Ironhide and so what had happened was..."

* * *

><p>Autumn leaned against Hound's alt mode and took her cell phone out. "Hey Hound! I'm gonna call Ironhide, you listening?"<p>

"Yeah, I'm not in recharge yet! I didn't wanna miss this."

"Okay." She dialed the number for Will's cell phone, trying to hold back giggles. "Hey Will? Is Ironhide there?"

_"Yeah, I could tell he was waiting for a call from you,"_ Will answered on the other end, and she heard a door open. _"Hey 'Hide! Can you put Annie down for a sec? Autumn's on the horn for ya."_

After a few seconds, Ironhide's voice came over the phone. _"Autumn? How are you doing? Ratchet told me to ask about your ribs."_

"Yeah. It stills hurts, but..." She pushed some of her hair back, carefully rubbing where she thought her ribs were. "I think it's getting better. I'm sure once I get the pain medicine, I'll be in great shape."

_"That's good to hear. To be honest, I was... a little worried about you. Walking while you're still hurt_ _and all, I mean. Not - Not to sound like Ratchet or anything, I just... you __**did**__ fall from over three feet, and I hear that's bad for humans."_

She smiled slightly. "Aww, that's sweet of you to be worried, Ironhide. But I promise, I'll be alright. And I'll get to see you on Monday! I kind of miss you."

_"Well, I... miss you too. It will be a relief when I can see you again. I don't like worrying about you."_ She heard what sounded like him clearing his throat, and then he spoke again. _"So, anyway. Did you get a new car?"_

She grinned and patted Hound. "I did! And boy, is it a beaut. You should see it. Oh, it's so big and strong and... well, I mean, it's a Jeep."

_"Like the ones the military uses?"_ He was pretending not to care, but she could tell by the sound of him clenching his denta that he was getting jealous.

"Yep. TJ Rubicon model," she gushed, laughing as she felt Hound trying not to laugh. He was actually shaking, trying to hold it in. "Got very nice angles on the framework, and a great paint job. It's so shiny, it's like this insane hunter green color."

_"Oh? It sounds nice. Drive it home?"_ Ohhh, he was being short with her! She was sure that meant he was really jealous now.

She licked her lip and decided to pour it on just a _little_ thicker. "I did, and it's got an amazingly smooth ride. Oh God, Ironhide, this truck - I think I'm in _love!_ Would you like to meet my new truck?"

She heard him scoff, and he was probably rolling his optics. _"When's the wedding? I'd like to be the best mech, is what I'd __**like**__ to-"_

And that was it. Hound couldn't even take it anymore. He just started laughing, his frame trembling and the radio crackling with the volume. "You microchip moron!" he called, still howling with laughter. "I can't - I can't even believe you just fell for all that nonsense! _Autumn, I think I'm gonna blow a gasket, hahahahaha!_"

Ironhide growled on the other end of the phone. _"Frag it, Autumn, who in the Pit is that?!"_

She giggled, switching her phone to the other ear. "My new truck, Ironhide! He's an Autobot."

"Hey, 'Hide!" Hound called. "It's Hound! Do you believe it? I ended up in that lot somehow, and she just comes along and finds me!"

_"..."_ There was a brief silence on the other end. _"So... you're not __**IN LOVE**__ with him, Autumn?"_

She burst out laughing. "No, 'Hide, of course not! He's my guardian. I was just joking with you."

He gave a short, bitter laugh. _"You're joking? We're in the middle of a war and you're joking. And I thought you were mentally sound! Teach me to think. Autumn, when I see you on Monday, I'm going to rig your gun and make it shoot sideways-"_

Autumn winced. "Bye, Ironhide! See you Monday!" She quickly flipped her phone shut and looked into Hound's interior.

Hound snorted through the radio. "You're bad, Autumn. I have a bad charge."

She rolled her eyes, kneeing the side of his tire. "Yeah, well, you're just as bad as me, buster." She walked off, back into the house. "I have a bad _guardian._"

* * *

><p><strong>Mwahahahaha, they're both BAD. Bad like Michael Jackson! XD<strong>

**Fufufufu, you gotta love jealous Ironhide. Damn, I mean, he's just so cute when he's jealous! They were so mean to play that prank on him, but we'll forgive him because it made him jealous which was simply adorable, non?**

**ANYWAY. I'm hoping to start a bit of the real action next chapter - Autumn joining N.E.S.T. and all. She was deadly with that baseball bat, let's see how she handles a gun!**

**Autumn: Aw yeah! Mama got an upgrade! *shoot***

**Ironhide: *from off screen* FRAG IT! YOU SHOT ME IN THE AFT!**

**Autumn: ... *puts her gun down* It wasn't me!**

**Hope you enjoyed, and if you review, there's lots more where this came from!**

**Thanks for reading! ^^**


	9. Chapter 9

**Urgghhh, sorry I was away for so long. I feel like when I update this story, I never update it again for like a month. Which is weird, because I love writing it.**

**... Maybe it's the fact that Transformers: Prime is slowly taking over my brain. XD Geez, Starscream and Knock Out and Dreadwing and Soundwave and Arcee and Smokescreen and... GAH. They're all too amazing to ignore.*cough* Especially Dreadwing still pissed about what they did I love him forever seriously he was a hero on the wrong side *cough***

**What? Who said what? I didn't hear anything. ^^**

**Anyway, another thing about why I was so slow to update; I got a review that kind of depressed me last chapter. Actually, they posted it on Chapter 2. Which in itself kind of upset me, because they pointed out that I had accidentally called Ironhide a CAR instead of a TRUCK a few times. I probably did, but the way they worded it upset me a little. *shrug* I see the point, and I'd like apologize for doing that. I was under some stress during the times I was writing Chapters 2 and 3, and I've buckled myself down. This story was only like... what? My second or third attempt at a TF story. So I'm really sorry about that, I was frazzled at the beginning of the story trying not to mess up plot and all, I think I made a few mistakes with terminology. I hope I've gotten better.**

**Another point they made was about the song lyrics. As far as I'm aware, the only things that aren't allowed here are songfics, which is where one whole song's lyrics are interspersed throughout the whole story. But I don't do that. I put some lyrics of some songs that I think fit, but it's always because the song is on the radio or something like that, and it's not through the whole story. Plus, I credit the song and artist. So sorry if I'm wrong, but I think that's allowed.**

**I just wanted to apologize... I even talked to my friend and my brother and asked if I was overreacting for being upset, because I didn't want to seem like someone who can't take criticism.**

**On a positive note, they did say I had a good writing style. And I managed to snap out of it, because what's ONE bad review compared to the loads of good ones from you guys? You've given me over 100 reviews before we've even reached chapter 10. I must be doing SOMETHING right.**

**So in conclusion, I'm not so depressed about it that I'm going to go through some big thing and discontinue the story or anything. Also, I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH~**

**OK, mini rant over lol.**

**So since next chapter IS chapter 10, prepare to be thoroughly THANKED~ Like, all of your names, lol.**

**On the subject, the song in the beginning of this chapter is "A Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans. XD Autumn seems to listen to quite a bit of country, doesn't she? Lol I love country. And contemporary. And... well, I like a lot of music, let's just leave it at that.**

**It's a bit short for me, but I thought a slight cliffie wouldn't bug you guys too much. I promised myself I was going to get this up before I worked on anything else...**

**Ironhide: And she REALLY wants to work on her 'Helpful Hints for Not Being Used as the Decepticons' Kickball' story. Blame that thing for the fact that this chapter is scrappy.**

**Ooh ooh! Also, thanks to Khalthar for the idea in here, lol. YOU ROCK.**

**Hope you all enjoy, and again, sorry for the mini rant up there! XD**

* * *

><p>Autumn was excited for Monday to come, mainly because of the fact that she'd get to see Ironhide again - and meet Optimus Prime, and see the rest of the base. And maybe she could find this Galloway guy Will was talking about and give him a <em>withering look.<em> That sounded like it could be fun.

After taking a shower that morning, she debated over what to wear before deciding that something comfortable would be best. If she was starting her actual training today, first impressions wouldn't mean anything if she could barely move. Gray T-shirt and jeans it was then, along with a pair of worn sneakers. As she was brushing her teeth and looking in the mirror, "A Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans came on the bathroom radio, and she had to smile a little.

"_... I'm done with how it feels, spinnin' my wheels_

_Lettin' you drag my heart around_

_And I'm done thinkin' you could ever change_

_I know my heart will never be the same_

_But I'm tellin' myself I'll be okay_

_Even on my weakest days... I get a little bit stronger..._"

The bruise was healing, and once it was gone, any reminders of Jared would be out of her life forever.

"Finally moving on," she mumbled happily, locking the door and facing her Jeep guardian in the driveway. She walked over and knocked against the hood. "Hey, Hound! Wakey wakey, time to go to the base and meet everybody."

There was a loud sound, kind of like an engine starting up without a muffler, and his frame shuddered. "Wait, what? Huh? What's going on? _Autumn, are you okay?! Decepticons, put my charge down! She's just a frail little human! __**Oh come on, T-cog, don't act up now, I need to transform!**_"

"No you don't, Hound, everything's fine," she giggled, opening his door and swinging inside. The pain in her ribs had gotten a lot better, and it was a bit easier for her to move now, so the motion was much smoother than it had been when she first drove him off Bobby's lot. "Sorry about that, were you asleep?"

He revved his engine, "hmmph"ing through the radio. "Yeah, I was in recharge. So what's up?"

She shut the door and buckled herself in. "Time to head off to base. Will said I should be there by eight, sooner if I could. I think it takes about an hour to get there, so I wanted to get an early start. I'd like a little time just to get the feel of the place." She put the key in his ignition, not that she needed to.

"Hey!" He spun his tires indignantly, though she knew he was just teasing her. He seemed to get a kick out of jokes. "Well, what time is it now?"

"Six-thirty." She pressed down on the gas pedal and backed up out of the driveway. "Better to be early than late, right? You only get one first impression."

"True." He actually seemed rather comfortable with her driving him, though he'd told her before that all she needed to do was say the word and he could take over. "I can't wait to see everybody! I wonder how Optimus has been."

"Is he nice?" She shifted into drive and turned out onto the road. "I mean, I'm happy about meeting him, but I'm a little nervous too. Him being your guys' leader and all."

"Oh what, Optimus Prime? Ha!" Without even being told, Hound slowed down just a little - probably to be safe. "I don't think you have any reason to be afraid of him, Autumn. From what I remember, he's always been firm but fair. I bet he's even practicing what he's going to say when he meets you." He chuckled. "In fact, he's probably just as nervous as you are. He's nuts about making good impressions."

She leaned back just a little and signaled that she was going to turn. "Looks like we already have something in common then."

* * *

><p>"You <em>can<em> go a little faster if you want to, Hound," Autumn spoke up as they drove into the hangar where they'd been directed. "The speed limit's twenty-five in here, not fifteen."

She heard him laugh through the radio. "Sorry, Autumn." He sped up just a little, just past the little _20_ mark. "That's one thing you'll have to get used to... I'm careful around anything I think I could hurt. Like you. Or humans in general."

She rolled her eyes, bringing her knee up to nudge against the steering wheel. "Yeah, I noticed _that._"

"Good! Now all you have to do is get used to it."

She crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out. "You say that like it's a challenge, Hound."

His frame shook with laughter. "Well, maybe it is! Care to accept it?"

She shook her head, glancing out the window. "Ye of little faith." She perked up when she saw a bot she recognized, and somewhat bounced in her seat. "Hey Hound! Look, there's Ratchet!" She let her hands slip off the steering wheel. "You mind driving by yourself for a minute? I wanna say hi."

"Yeah, sure." He immediately took control. "Go see how that old wrench-throwing rust-bucket's doing!"

"I'm on it!" Autumn pulled herself up and leaned out the already open window. "Hey Ratchet! _Ratchet!_ It's me, Autumn! I'm feeling better!"

Oh boy, she'd probably just contributed to the imminent spark attack the medic kept saying she'd eventually give him. He'd spotted her and it looked like his optics widened. "_Autumn, for spark's sake! __**From medical disaster to road hazard!**_" He transformed and started driving after them, although they were rather ahead of him now.

She laughed and leaned a little farther out. "Hi, Ratchet! How ya doin'? How's the weather? Oh, my ribs are a lot better, by the way! That medicine you sent worked like a charm! But my back hurts! Maybe can you give me more medicine for that?" She didn't care if she sounded like an addict trying to get more drugs; Ratchet was pretty much the only 'Bot she knew besides Ironhide, and she was excited to see him.

"_Autumn! You better hope I never catch up to you!_"

"Hey Autumn!" she heard Hound call from inside. "Why don't we have a little fun with the Hatchet?" He sped up, the needle very nearly pointing straight at the _25_ mark. "I betcha we can freak him out so much, he'll glitch! You ever seen one of us glitch?"

"Not yet!"

"Well, get ready to laugh till your sides split!" He made a turn, with her still hanging out the window.

"Just be careful!" she giggled, then turned back to see what Ratchet was doing.

Ratchet was still following them, though at a slightly slower pace than the Jeep was going. "What is going on?! _Autumn, drive the truck! Your hands are supposed to be on the wheel! Ten and two! __**Ten and two!**_"

She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "Ratchet! Hi Ratchet!"

At this point, some of the soldiers had stopped what they were doing to watch the chase. It looked like a few of them had caught on to what was happening, because they were nudging each other and snickering, gesturing to the Jeep. One of them - an African-American guy - had even waved back at her as they passed him.

Hound kept going, and after a few turns, started slowing down a little. "Should we give it up?" he asked, still chuckling through the radio.

"Maybe we should give him a fighting chance?" she replied, looking back into the interior.

By the time she turned back to aim some more barbs at Ratchet, the Hummer had zoomed past them and stopped just a few feet ahead, effectively blocking their path as he transformed. Hound skidded to a halt, and Autumn drew back into the truck. "I-I think we've been found out, Hound," she muttered, trying to smother a fit of giggles.

He was busting up, she could hear it through the radio. "Be careful dealing with him, Autumn!"

"Oh please, I'll be fine." She opened his door and climbed out, though he didn't transform just yet. She then looked up at the not-so-happy medic who was now glaring down at her, and raised her hand, offering a nervous grin. "Hi Ratchet! So, um, how's your morning going so far?"

"Alright." He reached down and scooped her up into his servo, bringing her up to his faceplates. "Autumn, my _morning_ has been difficult enough, what with talking to Optimus about meeting you, and putting dents in Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's big helms. So now I find that you're trying to raise my energon pressure by riding around in what looks like a dangerous manner, inside a vehicle that I realize now is clearly not human-made in origin." He brought her right up close to his optics, so she could see in detail the annoyed look he currently sported. "Care to explain _any_ of this before I give in to the temptation of confining you to Med Bay for a week?"

All she really had to give in response was a widening of her grin. She glanced back at her guardian, managing to cover her mouth. "H-Hound! I think the jig's up and we can tell him."

Hound transformed and waved his digits at Ratchet. "Hey, Dr. Hatchet! How's life treating you?"

Ratchet vented heavily, sounding more like a groan than anything, and carefully transferred Autumn over to Hound's servo. "I should have known it would be _you,_ Sniffer."

Hound pouted, holding Autumn closer. "Don't call me that. You know I don't like that."

"Then don't call _me_ 'Hatchet.' I don't like _it,_ either." He looked down at Autumn. "So, _Hound_ is your sorry excuse for a guardian?"

She laughed, hugging one of Hound's digits. "Oh come on, Ratchet! He's been a great guardian so far. We both just like to play pranks."

"Yeah, we're sorry," Hound added. "We just wanted to have some fun. Heh, with _you_ around, it might have been the only chance for fun we'd get."

Ratchet rolled his optics. "Yes, yes, I'm no fun. I believe we all get that. Now, would you two stop acting like Sideswipe and Sunstreaker and come with me? I'll exam Autumn, then you can be run off to meet Optimus."

She looked up at Hound, who smiled back at her. "Can't wait!"

* * *

><p><strong>BLEHHHH. The ending sucks balls. Sorry 'bout that, I didn't know quite what else to put. XD I'm a baaaaaaaaad writer when I don't even know how to end my own chapter, lol.<strong>

**Welp, I'm gonna go take a nap, write some more "Hints" for my other story, and stuff my face. XD**

**SEE YOU GUYS NEXT TIME, I LUVS YOU ALL!**

**Thanks for reading! ^^**


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